Pre-Theology/Theology Elections Proposal Spring 2013

Introduction
As per the Constitution, the Pastoral Council must approve the elections timeline and procedures for elections each year. The College is creating its own elections procedure. This proposal would govern the elections for PreTheology and Theology. It needs approved by a majority of the Pastoral Council to be implemented.

Timeline
Tue. 04/09 (Morning) o Nomination Solicitation Posted on 24 Hour Board, Aquinas Mail Board, Aquinas Dining Hall Board, Annunciation Board, and sent via e-mail. Sun. 04/14 (Noon) o Nominations due to Pastoral Council Chair (Bert Mello). Mon. 04/15 (before 11AM) o Names of nominees given to Msgr. Betschart/Formation to be considered at the Monday or Wednesday Formation meeting. Wed. 04/17 (afternoon) o Names of suitable candidates returned to Pastoral Council. o Nominees contacted to accept/reject nomination. o Vote-counters determined (Chair + two non-running Pastoral Council members). Thur. 04/18 o Theology chair sends pseudo-ballots to all Pastoral Year students via e-mail. o Division Chairs begin creating ballots. Sun. 04/21 o Division Chairs e-mail ballots (document, scan, picture, whatever) and election procedures to Pastoral Council. Will be considered approved with no objection. Tues. 04/23 (All Day) o Pre-vote for all those unable to vote at the normal election time. Wed. 04/24 o Pastoral Year votes due. o Elections held. o Vote counters present results to President-Rector. Known winners announced after ratification. Thur. 04/25 o Run-off elections held (if necessary). Fri. 04/26 o Transition Meeting with old and new Pastoral Councils. (This will involve a ceremonial hand-over, but the new Pastoral Council does not officially begin its term until May 1st. To avoid confusion, it would be better if the new Pastoral Council restrict

its activities during this meeting to discussions and steer clear of holding any votes. If any votes need taken, they should be held by the old Pastoral Council.)

Campaigning Proposals
Any, all, or none of these proposals can be implemented, according to the wishes of the Pastoral Council.

Option 1: Oral
Wed. 04/24 (Election Night), 6:30PM, Aquinas Dining Hall Ballots are distributed. Each candidate for each office is given 120 (60?) sec. (strictly adhered to) to say why he is running and what is important to him about his potential role. Questions may be asked of the candidates privately and individually after the public forum ends. Ballots are collected as guys leave the Dining Hall (even if they did not stay for the entire forum). The order for speaking would be alternating graduate/undergraduate candidates, starting with Division Coordinators and then going in the order to Article IV of the Constitution.

Option 2: Written
Statements due by Sun. 04/21 (noon). Packets distributed Mon. 04/22 (morning). Each nominee would be given the opportunity to submit 100 (300?) words about why he is running and what is important to him about his potential role. These statements would be assembled by a designee of the Pastoral Council Chair and posted on public boards and via e-mail. It is possible for three different packets to be created in order to correspond to the three different ballots that will be distributed (one for each division).

Nominations for Pre-Theo/Theo Elections!

Nominate yourselves or your peers to be representatives for the 2013-2014 school year.
What? The point of nominations is to identify and encourage quality candidates to serve the student body in these positions next year. If you think you or one of your peers would be a good fit for any of these roles, please nominate yourself/them! You may nominate a student for any position, whether you are eligible to vote for that position or not.
NOTE: This is not a vote. The number of nominations a guy gets does not matter. This is simply a way of saying, I think this guy should run for this office.

Please send nominations to Bert Mello (albert.mello@mtangel.edu) by

NOON on Sunday, April 14th.

(Please note that all nominations do not automatically appear on the ballot. Formation must approve all nominations and the nominees must accept their nomination.)

Every position is open to every seminarian in that division, both religious and diocesan. Most positions have two spots: one from the College and one representing both Pre-Theology and Theology (which can be held by a Pre-Theologian or a Theologian). These nominations are for the Pre-Theology and Theology positions only.

The Pre-Theology/Theology positions available for the 2013-2014 school year are:
Division Coordinators (2: Pre-Theology and Theology) o Represent the unique perspectives of their divisions to the Pastoral Council; coordinate divisionspecific meetings or activities, including chairing their divisions Coordinating Group; act as the primary nominators when volunteers or non-elected representatives are sought from their divisions; act as the primary communications officers for their divisions. On-Campus Social Representatives (2: Pre-Theology and Theology) o Responsible for planning on-campus social or entertainment events for the entire seminary community. They may also coordinate with the Division Chairs to plan division-specific events. Eligible for Community Life Coordinator.

Academic Representatives (2: Pre-Theology and Theology) o Responsible for working with the Academic Life Coordinator to resolve specific academic concerns as well as for coordinating study sessions during mid-terms and finals seasons. Eligible for Academic Life Coordinator. Athletic Representative (1: Pre-Theology/Theology) o Responsible for organizing/coordinating sporting-related activities. This includes, but is not limited to, supporting and representing the various team coaches, working with the Faculty Athletic Director, and planning community activity days. Eligible for Community Life Coordinator. Peace and Social Justice Representative (1: Pre-Theology/Theology) o Responsible for creating opportunities for seminary students to live out their Catholic faith in and for the greater world. These activities should span all aspects of Catholic teaching, from blood and food drives to pro-life activism and political petitioning. Eligible for Catholic Life Coordinator. Ecumenism and Interfaith Representative (1: Pre-Theology/Theology) o Responsible for coordinating interactions with other Christian communities or with representatives from other faiths; this is assumed to include advertising any off-campus opportunities for interaction and to include organizing any on-campus speaking or conference events. Eligible for Catholic Life Coordinator. Off-Campus Social Representative (1: Pre-Theology/Theology) o Responsible for planning off-campus social or entertainment events for the entire seminary community. They may also coordinate with the Division Chairs to plan division-specific events. Eligible for Community Life Coordinator. Spirituality Representative (1: Pre-Theology/Theology) o Responsible for coordinating any events focused specifically on the spiritual lives of the seminarians. The Spirituality Representatives are also responsible for creating a schedule for any communal uses of the Anselm Chapel, the Aquinas Chapel, or Saint Josephs Chapel. Eligible for Spiritual Life Coordinator.

A note on Pastoral Council positions: Unlike previous years, only the Division Coordinators automatically sit on the Pastoral Council. The other four Pastoral Council positions (Community Life, Catholic Life, Intellectual Life, and Spiritual Life Coordinators) are elected by the representatives eligible for each position. (E.g. the Spirituality Representatives would determine who among them would serve as the Spiritual Life Coordinator on the Pastoral Council).

Sample E-mail